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Jiiik, woooong…
Smoke filled the screen after the explosions stopped.
The device’s stabilization system clearly worked as the shaking and noise subsided, but the smoke kept visibility low.
‘Did something explode? I don’t think it’s that big though since the device isn’t damaged.”
The interviewer seemed to have defended themselves against the unexpected explosion with energy waves.
Seen through the smoke, the faces of the interviewers looked full of it.
The explosion wasn’t that large, but it was too sudden that they couldn’t stop it on time.
At the center of the incident were the students they were interviewing just now.
The interviewers seemed to think that the explosion was caused by Eun Seoho and Eun Iho.
The two were sheepishly about to show their abilities just before the said explosion, so it wasn’t strange that they’d be suspected.
It was rare for young players to be injured from energy wave explosions, but it happens.
Of course, the teachers at the player-specialized high school were well aware of such cases.
— Kids!
— Goodness, there’s blood…!
The interviewers jumped over their desks and rushed to the descendants.
With the dust almost subsided, the video now showed Eun Seoho and Eun Iho covered in blood.
I took a deep breath without realizing it.
The children, who were sitting upright and laughing just before the explosion, were fallen between broken chairs.
As the interviewer said, the kids’ bodies were bleeding.
Eungwang High teachers tried to calmly respond to the situation.
— I’ll use a recovery item card. Call the infirmary and the Hwangmyeong Hospital ER immediately…
— …You have to do CPR! I’m not getting a pulse!
Recovery items can only be used for players who are alive and functioning energy waves.
A body whose heart and brain have stopped functioning cannot circulate energy waves well, making recovery items useless.
For the recovery item to work, they need to do CPR and get the heart beating first.
When the teachers were about to perform CPR…
— Tada!
— Whaddaya think? It’s great right!
At that moment, Eun Seoho and Eun Iho bolted up.
The teacher who was in contact with the hospital, the two interviewers who were prepared to do CPR, and the person holding a recovery item all had their mouths dropped.
Eun Seoho and Eun Iho laughed at the surprised teachers.
‘These kids’ play dead is so advanced…! They fooled a thousand-year-old royal lineage after all.’
I can’t believe the teachers there didn’t see it coming.
The kids have deceived Hwang Jiho, Jeokho, Ok Toyeon, and Ok Toyoon so far.
Their game seemed to have evolved well.
While the teachers were still at a loss for words, the descendants spoke brightly.
— This is our specialty; playing dead!
— We sharpened our skills to get into Class Zero!
Don’t tell me Eun Seoho and Eun Iho wrote “playing dead” as their specialty in the document they submitted to Eungwang High!
Did they do that on purpose to get into Class Zero?
No, looking at their bright faces, they seem to be genuine about it.
Saying that it’s a specialty isn’t an exaggeration.
Finally, the interviewer looked at the two slowly.
The interviewer looked experienced — aged.
They seem to be the longest-serving teacher among those present.
‘That interviewer was a former adviser to the student council.’
Every autonomous student organization had an adviser.
For the student council, Professor Ham Geunhyung.
Kim Shinrok for the Jiikhoe.
Im Yeonhwa for the General Club.
And in the student council advisory position, there was the interviewer teacher who was considered the “Class Zero Reader”
They were an expert at spotting students to put in Class Zero.
The Class Zero Reader asked a question.
— Just pretending to be dead would’ve been enough, why did you prepare this skit?
The interviewer was right.
Everyone would’ve been amazed by their ability to control their bodies and make themselves look and feel like corpses.
Eun Seoho and Eun Iho sat back on their chairs, keeping their posture straight.
The surroundings were still in chaos, but since another question was thrown, the kids went back to formal interview mode.
— We heard that story-telling is necessary to stand out in self-introduction. We wanted to show something different from the others.
Eun Seoho and Eun Iho alternately explained the process of directing the accident in a clear voice.
They said that story-telling was important in self-introduction, but did they interpret it right?
It somehow went in the wrong direction, but anyway, the children have prepared thoroughly to appeal to themselves in this interview.
‘I think the result is obvious.’
Everyone who interviewed the descendants must’ve been sure.
These children belong to Class Zero.
Judging from their train of thought and their skills, they weren’t talents that a regular teacher can afford.
With a complex face, Hwang Jiho spoke.
“Seoho and Iho are indeed excellent, but don’t you think they need your advice?”
Why would these brilliant kids need my advice?
The skit prepared by the kids surprised the interviewers.
Well yes, it was somehow excessive, but isn’t it a testament of how great the kids were?
I was a little worried about their playfulness, but considering how Eun Seoho was when we first met, I don’t think there would be a problem.
Eun Seoho, who came to the living room of the mansion to ask for help at the risk of his life, was too discouraged that he couldn’t even raise his head properly.
Considering what happened then, it was nice seeing him like this.
‘Congrats, Seoho-ah, Iho-ah… You became my Class Zero juniors.’
I decided to celebrate the two.
The interview was over, but the class assignment wasn’t confirmed yet.
Just in case, I decided not to mention it.
“Looking at that face, it seems difficult to expect your help, Jo Euishin. Well, you’re still very young too. You are to be educated rather than educating someone.”
Hwang Jiho suddenly talked about age.
He’s spouting nonsense because the Jo Euishin in this world is 17 years old?
I’m not a kid and Hwang Jiho knows that.
I decided to refute it for now.
“You’re saying that when you know my real age?”
“Hahaha! You’re a little mature, but you’re much younger than me, Jo Euishin.”
The old man bragged about his age.
It’s true that even with my real age, I was a lot of springs and autumns younger than the old man.
Starting with showing off his age, the old man began to nag.
He said some things about worrying about my body or whatnot.
I wonder why he says that when I’m clearly taking care of myself, but I knew that if I answered him for no reason, I’ll get another earful of nags.
I roughly listened to the old man, letting the words enter one ear and leave the other.
As soon as the front door opened, the wounds from the old man’s nagging were healed.
Woof!
An angel was waiting on the porch.
Immediately after the door opened, Olmu greeted me.
He was holding Sanryeong by the elbow but he threw him away as soon as he saw me.
He ran excitedly to my arms.
It felt like yesterday when he was limping, but I can’t believe our Olmu has recovered so much and now he’s successful in hunting Sanryeong!
I was moved by Olmu’s efforts.
I praised the genius Olmu who ran into my arms for working hard to patch up his diminished Earth power.
“How are you, Olmu? I heard you’ve been dealing with Sanryeong. You did great.”
Woof woof!
Meanwhile, the tattered Sanryeong looked at me from the floor with a sad face.
I remember what he said.
— They said he’d help me if I helped him.
Sanryeong had a skill similar to my Communicating with the Transcendent Universe.
He could communicate relatively freely before his visibility became clearer.
Unlike me who can only get affirmative or negative answers, Sanryeong can communicate in detail.
As a result, he heard that if he helped me, I would help him in return.
“…You’re mean.”
I just arrived though.
Didn’t he say the same thing last time?
Unlike the smart Olmu, I guess Sanryeong’s vocabulary is limited.
Looking closely, it seems like Sanryeong has become more visible than before, but it was still a long way.
I ignored him and praised Olmu enthusiastically.
“Hwangho-nim, Euishin oppa! Welcome home!”
“We’re done with the test!”
Eun Seoho and Eun Iho ran toward me while I was praising Olmu.
Seeing that both their hairs were half-dried, they seemed to have just come out of the shower.
They have a full-body dryer in the mansion though, but I guess they were in such a hurry.
Standing in the back, Baekho-gun handed them a dryer and a towel.
I was moved by the scene as I greeted them.
“Good job with the test.”
I listened to the kids’ stories with Baekho while they dried their hair and Hwang Jiho prepared us food.
I thought we wouldn’t have much to say since we regularly exchange messages, but the children didn’t run out of anything to say.
While listening to the events and the people they met while they were out to take the exam, the evening passed quickly.
“There’s something more we want to tell you…”
“Can we talk in Euishin hyung’s room?”
After dinner, we ate Ok Toyeon’s rice cakes for dessert and the evening unknowingly became deep.
Tired after the exams, Eun Seoho and Eun Iho looked visibly drowsy.
‘Are they calling the guest room my room since there aren’t a lot of people who can come to the mansion?’
My room was in the freshmen dormitory in Eungwang High’s residential area.
I thought I should show them around later on if they went.
“Go to bed now. You won’t be able to talk much anyway.”
Despite Hwang Jiho’s urging, the two resisted sleep.
Fortunately, they eventually gave in and returned to their respective rooms calmly.
I would’ve gone to the dormitory normally, but I still had something to do.
There was another person in the mansion who took the test.
‘How did Eunho do in the interview?’
Eunho would’ve done the test perfectly, I know there was no need for me to worry.
When he was Cheon Sungheon, he never failed a test or an interview.
Even when he was caught up in rumors and controversy, his grades remained perfect.
He performed so well that people accused him of cheating.
While I was lost in memories, Hwang Jiho’s words pulled me back.
“Let’s go to the annex. Let’s see Eunho about his interview.”
Is there a video recording of it too?
The old man looked like he was about to laugh.
He didn’t talk to me on purpose, trying to stimulate my curiosity.
After arriving at Eunho’s annex…
Hwang Jiho said we’d watch Eunho’s interview video with him.
“I thought you’d already shown him. How unexpected.”
Eunho smiled as he handed me some tea.
“I thought it would be more fun to watch it together. Take a seat too, Baekho.”
And so Eunho’s interview video was played.
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